Behavioral Intervention in Autism

The Behavioral Intervention in Autism Certificate Program has been designed to provide the core knowledge required for Board Certified Behavior Analysts. The 6-course Autism Certificate program has been updated to conform with the BACB's new task-list standards. It has been fully approved by the BACB to fulfill the specific coursework requirements necessary to become eligible for taking the BCBA exam.

Note: You do not have to be accepted into the certificate program prior to registering for your first course. However, students pursing BACB certification need to apply for the certificate before taking their 3rd course.

Applicants will have to meet additional BACB requirements to qualify for full BACB certification. For the most current information about BACB certification requirements, please visit http://www.bacb.com

In partnership with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, a pioneer in research, education, and service for people with developmental disabilities and their families for over three decades and a part of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, this certificate has been designed to provide professionals in psychology, education, child care, and human services with an understanding of autism and related developmental disorders. An introduction to behavioral methods and how and where such methods can be used and evaluated is included. Interested students should have a background in the psychology of child development. Most courses will be available on-line.

*Professional Certification: This sequence of 6 courses (see courses with asterisks) has been designed to meet the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) educational requirements for certification as a Behavior Analyst. Note that full BACB certification also involves an experience requirement and an exam not administered by UMass Lowell (see details at www.bacb.com).

Note the PSYC.5610 is a prerequisite or co-requisite for PSYC.5620 and PSYC.5650; PSYC.5620 is a prerequisite for PSYC.5660 and PSYC.5680; PSYC.5650 or 5660 is a prerequisite fro PSYC.5720. The recommended sequence is PSYC.5610 and PSYC.5620 together in one semester, followed by PSYC.5650 and PSYC.5660, and finishing with PSYC.5680 and PSYC.5720.

Behavioral Management in Autism (BCaBA) (offered fully online)

This four-course (12 credit) graduate certificate is open to any student with a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution. This certificate fulfills the coursework requirements for certification as a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst (BCaBA) and helps prepare students to take the Behavior Analyst Certification Board's (BACB's) BCaBA Certification Exam. All four courses are offered online and a student may complete the program in as few as two consecutive semesters.

Curriculum Outline

Required Courses (4 courses, 12 credits total)

PSYC.5610 Introduction to Behavioral Intervention in Autism

PSYC.5620 Teaching and Positive Behavioral Support in Autism

PSYC.5630 Management Strategies in Applied Behavioral Intervention

PSYC.5660 Functional Analysis and Treatment of Challenging Behavior

Note: PSYC.5610 and PSYC.5620 may be taken concurrently; both are prerequisites for PSYC.5630 and PSYC.5660, which also may be taken together.

Students wishing to pursue certification as a Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst through the BACB must apply for and be accepted into the Behavioral Management in Autism Certificate Program and successfully complete the four required courses. This program is approved by the BACB to fulfill their BCaBA coursework requirement, and it is designed to help prepare students for the BACB BCaBA Certification Exam.

Three of the courses in this program can be applied towards the BACB's BCBA coursework requirements, and, with program approval, they could count towards UMass Lowell's MS in Autism Studies or the M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction: Autism Studies Option.

Note: This program does not confer BACB certification or licensure in any state. While this program is approved by BACB as a BCaBA coursework preparation program, students will need to apply separately to BACB for a BCaBA certification exam. Check the BACB website regularly as the requirements change periodically. Students should also review their state's government website to see if any additional licensure is required to serve as a BCaBA in their state.

Diversity in the Workplace

Over the last 50 years, the workplace has changed dramatically in terms of its composition along various dimensions. Despite this inevitable diversity in the workplace, working with people from different backgrounds is challenging. Many people prefer to work with others who are "like them" in age, gender, race, education, and economic status. There is comfort in sharing the same background and culturally based traditions and ideals. Working with others who do not share similar interpersonal expectations or ways of communicating can contribute to tensions eminating from misattributions and conflicting values.

This certificate is for both future and current industry and organizational leaders who want to advance their theoretical knowledge as well as their hands on skills for working with and managing diverse employees. Certificate candidates will increase their awareness of communication and cultural differences, and be encouraged to develop strategies to effectively manage these differences. Candidates will be challenged to go beyond simply tolerating differences; rather the goal is to improve their work life, organizational culture, and organizational effectiveness by harnessing the value of these differences.

Students who complete this certificate will emerge better equipped to work within our increasingly diverse workplaces. They will acquire knowledge and skills that will enable them to take on leadership roles in both profit and nonprofit organizations.

The core course, Workplace Diversity, introduces students to the theoretical constructs surrounding diversity in the workplace as well as focuses on skill development for managing diversity in the work domain. Courses in the "Social Trends" cluster focus on the broader social, economic, and political forces that affect diversity in the workplace including the changing nature of work, globalization, and public policy. Offerings in the "Systems Dynamics" cluster are courses that enhance students’ understanding of people from diverse backgrounds and explore the ways in which dynamics within workplaces (and other human systems) shape relations among diverse group.

Courses (12 credits):

Required Course:

PSYC.5260 Workplace Diversity (3 credits)

Social Trends - select one course:

57.542 Gender, Work and Public Policy (3 credits)

57.511 Dynamics of Power and Authority (3 credits)

57.516 Globalization, Work, and Family (3 credits)

System Dynamics Electives - select one:

PSYC.5000 Introduction to Community Social Psychology (3 credits)

PSYC.5050 Work and Family (3 credits)

PSYC.5220 Psychology of Diversity (3 credits)

Open Electives - select one additional course from either the preceding lists or the list below:

Domestic Violence Prevention

Domestic violence is one of the major social and public health problems in the Commonwealth. The existing degree programs in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies, Community Social Psychology, and programs in the College of Health Sciences each offer relevant courses that greatly assist their graduates working with agencies and clients affected by domestic violence. The certificate provides a focused program for those working in settings where domestic violence is an issue.

Family Studies

The program is designed to provide professionals who work with families or with children, youth and elders within family systems, with a contemporary understanding of families through a community-based, culturally-sensitive perspective. It provides graduate level education in family support services and in family-community linkages, and exposure to the range of family support and education approaches in the Merrimack Valley.

Required Courses:

PSYC.5000 Introduction to Community Social Psychology (3 credits)

PSYC.5010 Applied Developmental Psychology (3 credits)

PSYC.5040 The Family System (3 credits)

Electives:

PSYC.5020 Seminar in Community Social Psychology (3 credits)*

CRIM.6220 Intimate Partner Violence (3 credits)

Note: Other electives by approval of Graduate Coordinator.

*Focus of seminar varies; may be applied to certificate only when the focus of the seminar is family-centered.